The present invention relates to oil flow in an engine. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for controlling the flow of engine oil in a cylinder block of an engine.
A conventional engine in a motor vehicle includes a cylinder block having a number of cylinder bores that house pistons. Each cylinder has a valvetrain associated with it, including intake and exhaust valves. There is a hydraulic lifter for each valve, located in chambers, referred to as lifter bores, which are adjacent to the respective cylinders. A lifter gallery that extends most of the length of the cylinder block intersects with each of the lifter bores.
The lifter gallery is usually produced during manufacturing of the cylinder block by drilling through the cylinder block. Due to the length of the cylinder block, and in order to minimize the likelihood that the drill bit used to drill the lifter gallery will break during drilling, the size of the drill bit must have a substantial diameter, typically in the range of 7 to 12 mm. As a result, the lifter gallery also has a relatively large diameter, e.g., in the range of 7 to 12 mm. However, the flow of oil typically required to be provided to the valve lifters is minimal.
Thus, there is a need to provide a system and method that improves the control of engine oil flow in the cylinder block of an engine.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system and method that improves the control of engine oil flow in the cylinder block of an engine.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method that enables the use of a smaller oil pump than would otherwise be required.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method that reduces the power losses that result from the aeration of engine oil caused by the excessive flow of engine oil in the cylinder block of an engine.
The above and other beneficial objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a system and method as described herein. The present invention, according to one example embodiment thereof, relates to a system for controlling the flow of engine oil in a cylinder block that houses hydraulic lifters. The system includes a lifter gallery extending through the cylinder block, such that each of the hydraulic lifters are in fluid communication with the lifter gallery. The system also includes a flow restriction element for restricting the flow of the engine oil through at least a portion of the lifter gallery. Specifically, the flow restriction element is configured to be inserted into either a lifter gallery inlet opening or the lifter bores in order to reduce the cross-section of the lifter gallery and restrict the flow of engine oil through the lifter gallery.